Dina Visits Grandma
Tonya and Tonny reach out their hands and cry out together:
Dina, help! Dina, save us!
A boy and a girl stand in a swamp, the bog has already pulled them in up to their knees, and now they are up to their waists in dark, thick muck. In a moment only their faces are visible, turned toward the gray sky. They can no longer scream, only silently move their lips. But their cry still rings in Dina's head. The bog has swallowed the children; two big bubbles appeared and burst, leaving a smooth surface, as if nothing had ever been there!
Dina woke up in terror. Outside the window a full moon shines, a breeze drifts through the half-open window and gently stirs the curtain. Everything is quiet. But Dina is scared, because Tonya and Tonny visit her dreams almost every night! Sometimes a hurricane carries them away, sometimes a whirlpool in the river pulls them under, sometimes a tsunami washes them off, and tonight it was a swamp... Dina is afraid to go to sleep, she has lost weight from constant lack of sleep.
Mom and Dad are worried about their daughter. Mom decided to take the girl to the doctor, but Dina asked to visit Grandma. There she will surely get better, and everything will be fine!
Dina had not told her parents about her journey to the Enchanted Forest, but Grandma knew everything, and, as Dina hoped, could help her.
After breakfast they began getting ready for the road. Dina took all the things she had with her when she searched the Enchanted Forest for medicine for Mom: a yellow hooded sweatshirt, a little backpack woven by Grandpa from willow vines cut on the day of the spring equinox, a little bag of soil from under a currant bush, a white napkin, a bracelet with a tiny horseshoe given by the pony Buyan, and the little bottle from Mom's medicine.
Dad pulled the car out of the garage, the bags were loaded into the trunk, and they set off to Grandma's in the neighboring village.
Grandma was already waiting for her daughter's family. Dina hugged Grandma and immediately ran to Buyan. The pony greeted the girl with a cheerful neigh. Of course, Dina had a few sugar cubes in the pocket of her dress, because Buyan had a sweet tooth. The girl offered him her palm with sugar, then hugged his neck and stroked him. On a shelf next to the stall lay a comb; Dina picked it up and began combing his mane. Then Grandma came in and said:
Dina, let's go have tea. Then your parents will head home, and you can visit Buyan again.
Dina kissed the pony on the forehead and went with Grandma.
Her parents rested after the road by the cheerful samovar with fragrant tea and Grandma's cheese buns, and then they left.
Dina, tell me, what happened? You look so sad and pale. Why did you refuse to go to the doctor?
Grandma, I'm not sick. Every night I dream of Tonya and Tonny, they die, and before that they ask me to help them. Remember, these are the children from the Enchanted Forest. I'm already afraid to go to sleep. And I want to help them, only I don't know how," the girl said with sorrow.
Grandma hugged her granddaughter and said:
Now we will go to my friend, her name is Anna-Maria-Rose. You should address her just like that, she adores being called by her full name. Just don't call her "aunt" or "grandma," only by her name. She told me how to save your mom. Her grandfather, when he was a child, also went into the Enchanted Forest and managed to come back.
Did his mom get sick too?
No, he got there by accident, he got lost in the forest while picking mushrooms.
Anna-Maria-Rose was very glad to see the guests. After meeting Dina, they went to drink hot chocolate in the cozy kitchen. There Dina told her everything: about the Enchanted Forest and about Tonya and Tonny.
I have an old book that was passed down to me from my grandfather. He said it holds everything that might be needed in a difficult situation," Anna-Maria-Rose said thoughtfully, "but I can't open it, it is fastened with three silver buttons. Maybe now it will open.
She brought a large, heavy book from the bedroom. The corners of the cover were trimmed with openwork silver fittings. The book was fastened with three square buttons, like on a caftan.
No sooner had Anna-Maria-Rose put the book on the table than it rustled open. As if an invisible hand turned several pages, and on a leaf lines began to appear, written in a neat calligraphic hand:
"There is an Enchanted Forest.
A child can get into it.
You can get out of it only before sunset
If you do not come out before sunset, you will become a doll.
If the sorceress wishes, she can turn the doll back into a living person during the day.
And if someone wants to help the dolls leave the forest, the spell will break.
If you do not leave the forest within two years, you will remain a doll FOREVER!"
Dina, you can go back into the Enchanted Forest and help the children," said Anna-Maria-Rose confidently, "you are the only child here, and the book opened for you!
The page in the book rustled and turned over, and everyone read the new lines:
"Dina, go outside. Whoever approaches you first will be your helper. Take everything you had with you last time, and at dawn tomorrow go to the Rotten Ravine."
The book snapped shut and fastened all three silver buttons. Everyone exchanged glances, and a chill ran down Dina's back. Grandma hugged her granddaughter and said:
Don't be afraid, Dina! You may be small, but you are very brave, you were able to help Mom, you can help the children too. And I and Anna-Maria-Rose will be waiting for you!
Yes, sweetheart," added Anna-Maria-Rose, "there is no other way out. These dreams will keep tormenting you. And the sorceress of the Enchanted Forest is not wicked, she won't get in your way, the book says nothing about that. And know this: if someone is waiting for you, then you will succeed!
There was nowhere for Dina to go; she had to go and wait for her helper. The girl decided that she would go alone. And the grandmothers set about baking pies with rhubarb, because on her first journey to the Enchanted Forest they had been packed in the backpack.
The girl went outside, passed through Anna-Maria-Rose's neat yard, where wonderful gloxinias of every color grew, and opened the gate. Suddenly a dog ran up to her, a small brown poodle, very thin and shaggy. The dog barked loudly and lunged at Dina, nearly knocking the girl off her feet, and there was no one else on the street...
Both grandmothers rushed out at the barking, but the poodle had no intention of biting Dina. He lay down at her feet and gazed up with devoted eyes.
So that's the helper the book was talking about! exclaimed Anna-Maria-Rose in surprise. This is a dog from the next street, she had two owners, the twins Tonya and Antosha. Oh, they went missing last year: they went into the forest for red currants, and nobody ever saw them again! Only the dog came back; she howled and kept running to the Rotten Ravine. The children's parents called rescuers, a search dog came with a police officer, but they never found anyone. Their mother has since sat by the window all day long, waiting, and speaks to no one.
Are these twins redheads?" asked Dina.
Yes, redheads. Probably they are the ones asking you to help them get home. By the way, the dog's name is Duffy.
As soon as Anna-Maria-Rose said the dog's name, she jumped up and wagged her tail vigorously.
Come here, Duffy," called Anna-Maria-Rose, "I'll feed you, you must be hungry.
Dina's grandma busied herself with the pies, while the girl and Anna-Maria-Rose fed the dog, then washed and combed her. And finally, they trimmed her. Duffy became such a beauty, fit for a show. But already at dawn Dina and the dog would set off to the Enchanted Forest. When the rhubarb pies were ready, Grandma, just as last time, put three of them into Dina's backpack.
Duffy went with Dina and her grandma. The girl had strange dreams all night which she could not remember later, but she knew for certain that she had had to run away and hide from someone the whole time.
As soon as Grandma woke Dina, she ran to the shed to say goodbye to Buyan. The pony greeted her with a quiet neigh, the girl hugged his neck, tears dropped onto his velvety skin, and then something hit the floor with a melodic ring. It was a small silver bell. Dina put it in her backpack; Buyan did not give gifts for nothing.
Thank you, Buyan," whispered Dina and kissed his forehead, "goodbye! I'm going back to the Enchanted Forest.
The girl ran off, wiping away her tears.
At the first rays of the sun, Grandma, Dina, Anna-Maria-Rose and Duffy stood by the Rotten Ravine.
The Rotten Ravine
No one knew why the ravine was called Rotten. Nothing grew in it, and water never ran there even in heavy rains, only thin spirals of fog swirled at the bottom. The ravine was not long, only about a hundred meters, with ordinary forest at both ends. How wide the Rotten Ravine was, no one knew, the far side could not be seen, a dense fog began there. It was impossible to approach the edge of the ravine, as if there were an invisible wall in front of it.
Dina, her grandma, Anna-Maria-Rose and Duffy went out to the clearing beyond the village and stopped in front of the Rotten Ravine.
Dina, how will you get to the other side? There isn't even a bridge here! exclaimed Grandma.
What do you mean there isn't? Look, a new bridge with openwork railings, and a rainbow arch over it! answered the girl.
Grandma and Anna-Maria-Rose exchanged glances; they saw no bridge at all...
Duffy bravely ran to the little bridge, then came back to Dina, grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled her toward the Rotten Ravine. The rainbow arch over the bridge began to fade. Dina was afraid it would disappear and she would then be unable to get into the Enchanted Forest. She ran after Duffy and shouted as she went:
Go home! If I come back, I'll come straight to you, Grandma!
The two old friends saw the girl and the dog approach the invisible wall that separates reality from the Rotten Ravine, and they were drawn in as if by an invisible force. The air rippled, as it does on a very hot day, then the ripple bent, and two small figures floated over the ravine and vanished.
And Dina and Duffy, seeing no obstacles, simply stepped onto the freshly planed little bridge and in just a few meters found themselves on the other side of the Rotten Ravine.
The Enchanted Forest
As soon as the girl and the dog crossed the ravine, they saw an enormous eye. There was no forest in front of them, no field, nothing, just one eye. It was such a deep, jet-black color that it looked like a single pupil. The eye began to grow and at the same time move farther away. Duffy's fur stood on end, she growled and pressed against the girl's legs. Shivers ran down Dina's skin.
Then a wind lifted Dina and Duffy, spinning them like fallen leaves, and carried them into the black pupil. Dina caught the poodle by her front paw in mid-air, pressed the dog to herself, squeezed her eyes shut in fear, and together they flew into the "black hole."
An invisible force gently set the girl and the dog down. Under their feet was firm ground. Dina opened her eyes and saw a carved house, covered with ivy, with a little tower, and on it a weathervane with a rooster. The rooster was like a real one, with bright, multicolored tail feathers. A light breeze blew, the rooster-weathervane stirred and proudly crowed its "Cock-a-doodle-doo." Out of the house came the sorceress, with a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Hello, Dina, I've been waiting for you for a long time! And you came with Duffy, hello to you too! What a beauty you've become, you should be sent to a dog show," said the sorceress with a smile.
Hello!" answered Dina, and Duffy barked her greeting.
Why are you standing there? asked the sorceress. Time is passing, before sunset we must save your brother and sister and get ourselves home in time! So come in. Dina, it's time for tea. You'll learn your task in a dream.
There was nothing to do. Dina washed up after the road and sat down at a round table covered with a lacy lilac tablecloth. On it stood a samovar, jam and fragrant buns. The sorceress poured tea into a little cup inlaid with mother-of-pearl. After the first sip Dina's eyes began to close, and the little old woman helped her to the sofa. A soft down pillow embraced Dina's tired head.
Dina's First Dream
I see myself as an elderly old man: gray beard, thick glasses. I walk with a cane along the sidewalk. It is very hot, but I am wearing a coat. My leg hurts badly. I limp along, leaning on my walking stick. Right in front of me rose a tall round glass building, and from it a young woman runs out, waves her hand at me and shouts:
We've been waiting for you, hurry!
Who is waiting for me? I ask in complete confusion.
Who? the young woman's voice rose to an incredibly high note in indignation. You are the chairman of the jury!
Jury?! My glasses slid up onto my forehead in surprise.
Yes, and you must choose the most beautiful poodle at the dog show.
Limping, I hurry after the young woman. A tall, large round hall, along its walls stand pedestals, and on them sit absolutely identical brown plush poodles. How can one find the most beautiful dog here?
I look closely at each one. Maybe Duffy will give me some sign. But toys cannot whine, bark, or blink... And the young woman walks beside me and keeps buzzing:
We must hurry, or the dream will end soon!
And then a drop of blood ran from one toy's ear! When I was helping Anna-Maria-Rose trim Duffy, I accidentally cut the tip of her ear.
This dog will be the winner of our show, loudly said, that is, said I, throughout the hall.
The toy came to life, jumped down from the pedestal onto the floor, licked my hand, and then I woke up.
At the Sorceress's
Dina is standing again in front of the sorceress's house, the rooster-weathervane saw the girl, stirred and proudly crowed its "Cock-a-doodle-doo." Out of the house came the sorceress, with a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Well done, Dina! If you had not recognized Duffy, she would have remained a plush toy forever. Now your new task: you must grow a rhubarb bush, let's go to my garden.
The sorceress went around the house, and Dina and Duffy followed her. In the garden grew strange plants. Here is a flowerbed of insect hunters: two little children's palms on a thin green stalk, each with seven fingers with long pink nails. The palms keep clapping and catching flies that swarm around the plant. Dina, passing by, smelled honey and pineapple, and understood why the flies fly to their doom.
And here is a flowerbed of plants that look like cobras. They have very beautiful shimmering hoods, sparrows wander among them and pull caterpillars out of the hoods. Sometimes a cobra-plant embraces a little sparrow with its hood as a sign of gratitude.
And here is a flowerbed around a small fountain shaped like an atomizer; from it an invisible mechanism releases a fragrant cloud. On each plant there are three stalks ending in blossoms that look like human heads with big noses and long hair. The noses sniff, and if they like the smell, the hair turns multicolored, and if not, it turns gray. The unhappy heads start butting the happy heads and squeak as they do so. Over the flowerbed hangs constant noise.
Dina stopped in front of the atomizer fountain, but the sorceress, without turning around, called to her:
Time is passing!
After that Dina walked behind the sorceress, not looking around. And in the garden there was a lot to see! Everyone stopped by a dug-up, empty round flowerbed.
Here you must grow rhubarb! said the sorceress and vanished.
Dina looked around the garden in bewilderment. Nearby there was nothing, not even a packet of seeds.
What could I at least use to level the soil in the flowerbed? the girl asked herself.
In her backpack, woven from willow vines, something melodiously jingled; Dina remembered the bell given by Buyan. And at once, out of nowhere, a small rake appeared.
Buyan, thank you so much!
Dina leveled the flowerbed. She took the bell out of her backpack, shook it and said:
Now I need a shovel to dig a hole!
Snap, and a shovel lay beside the flowerbed.
Buyan, thanks!
Dina dug a hole in the middle. She shook the bell once more and said:
And now I need seeds!
But nothing appeared. What if she shook it twice? But the bell did not even make a melodic ring...
Dina was frightened: how would she complete the task now? Duffy jumped up and pushed her nose into the backpack. Then she jumped again and barked loudly.
Duffy, do you really think I should put a rhubarb pie into the hole? asked Dina.
The dog licked the girl's hand. Well, it was worth a try, especially since nothing else came to mind. Dina took out a pie and buried it in the center of the flowerbed, then took a little bottle of spring water from her backpack and watered it. The water in the bottle did not get any less, but from the ground first red knobs appeared, then pink-green sprouts, and now big green leaves on juicy stalks, and then thick stalks with fluffy white blossoms. Out of nowhere bees flew in and buzzed happily over the rhubarb flowers.
Thank you, Dina, you have grown magical rhubarb in my garden. Remember: magical! Now it's time to return to the table, said the sorceress. She appeared in the same spot from which she had vanished.
Someone has stolen the dragon's thorn that you brought me last time, you must find it, the sorceress gave the task.
Dina washed her hands and sat down at the round table covered with a lacy lilac tablecloth. On it stood a samovar, jam and fragrant buns. The sorceress poured tea into a little cup inlaid with mother-of-pearl. After the first sip Dina's eyes began to close, and the little old woman helped her to the sofa. The soft down pillow once again embraced Dina's tired head.
Dina's Second Dream
I don't know who I am. I can see very poorly. It is a bright warm day, but I feel uncomfortable, I want to hide. As if through a haze I try to look at my hands, but they look more like shovels with long clawed fingers, and I don't have bare skin but black fur! I hear the flapping of wings and understand I must run. Someone is hunting me! Nearby there is some kind of hole, a strong smell of wet earth. My body is clumsy, but I quickly fall into the hole, and only a sharp claw slightly scratches my little hide.
I am underground, and this is my home! I must find the dragon's thorn, where could it be here?! There are many tunnels here, all of them end in storerooms. I rustle along the long corridors: here is a dead end, strongly smelling of dried earthworms. This is the winter supply. I need to find another tunnel.
This tunnel ended in a small room covered with autumn leaves. This is my bedroom. I turn around and find by smell another passage.
I crawl along it for a long time and suddenly sense a stranger's smell: someone unknown is ahead. Here the tunnel ends, and I fall into emptiness. My back itches badly, unbearable itching and pain.
And suddenly I am not just tumbling somewhere unknown, but flying, flapping my wings. Light stabbed my eyes, and I see a huge valley bathed in sunshine, and in the center a black mountain, like a dragon's thorn.
I glide on currents of air. How wonderful to be a bird! An incredible feeling of lightness and freedom! Suddenly I hear the ring of a bell, it reminded me of the task from the sorceress. I must hurry!
I fly toward the mountain, and now I am above it. The lower I descend, the smaller it becomes. Suddenly long flexible stalks with enormous palms rise from the ground. They have seven fingers with pink claws each, they try to catch me like a fly.
When the palms spread apart for the next clap, between them hang threads of gray-brown-crimson slime. Somehow I manage to escape their slimy embrace. And now I can grab the thorn with my claws. The hunter plants, having lost me as prey, disappeared. But the thorn doesn't yield, it sits firmly in the ground!
Buyan, please help me! I cry.
And then the thorn wobbled in the ground like a baby tooth, I grabbed it and began to fly up.
At the Sorceress's
Dina is again standing in front of the sorceress's house, in her hands is the dragon's thorn, the owl-weathervane stirred and grumbled "Oo-oo-oo." Out of the house came the sorceress, with a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Thank you, Dina, for returning the dragon's thorn to me. Now you must bring Tonya and Tonny home. Come in.
As soon as Duffy saw Dina, she ran to her with a joyful bark, put her front paws on the girl's chest and licked her cheek.
Duffy, how glad I am to see you!
Everyone went into the living room. The table with the samovar and the sofa with the pillow disappeared. On the wall where there had been no door at all, a tall double door appeared.
"A library," Dina guessed. There on the shelves stand dolls. The door swung open with a clang, and the sorceress said:
Dina, come in. There is little time left, the sun will set soon. If you succeed, we will never see each other again. Just in case, goodbye!
And what if I don't succeed? asked the girl, trembling in her voice.
The sorceress shrugged and did not answer.
In the Library
Dina, and behind her Duffy, went through the welcomingly opened doors. They slammed shut with a bang. Out of nowhere, with a deafening noise, a heavy bolt fell, and a large padlock snapped onto it. There is no way back!
If you don't return home with Tonya and Tonny before sunset, there will be a place for you on a shelf in the cabinet! rang the thunderous voice of the sorceress.
In the library a column of dust swirled up, and at once it grew dark, as happens when the sun sets. Dina's eyes also darkened, tears welled up. But there was no time to cry; something had to be done.
Duffy licked the girl's hand and ran ahead, inviting Dina to follow her. The bracelet with the tiny horseshoe, a gift from Buyan, glowed in the dusk, and Dina's heart immediately grew lighter.
Rows of cabinets rose before the travelers. And then on one cabinet a fiery inscription appeared: "Dina." As soon as the girl opened the doors, it began to burn. On a shelf stood a lonely box, covered in dust, and the fire had already spread to the shelf. Dina, without a second thought, grabbed the box, the flames flared up white, and from the cabinet only a heap of ash remained, which in a moment also vanished.
The box was carved, made of cherrywood, and smelled very pleasant. Dina opened it: on emerald velvet lay a mother-of-pearl button from a Roly-Poly toy and a small pirate arrow.
What do I do with them? whispered Dina. How will they help me?
And Duffy was already calling the girl, barking loudly by another cabinet. Dina put the button and the pirate arrow into the pocket of her yellow sweatshirt, and the box into her backpack.
She went to the cabinet by which Duffy would not stop barking, and opened it. On the only shelf stood two dolls, Tonya and Tonny. There was a crack, the whole cabinet became covered with fine cracks, as if crackled with craquelure. Dina managed to snatch the dolls from the shelf, and the cabinet turned into dust, which in a moment also vanished.
Suddenly the dolls slipped from Dina's hands, struck the floor with a terrible crash and turned into Tonya and Tonny! The children hugged and cried, and Duffy ran around them, barking joyfully.
An owl hooted, and before the astonished children's eyes appeared a clock, floating in the air. On its face, which constantly changed shape from circle to oval and back, at the top, at 12 o'clock, a pink sun was drawn, at three a yellow sun, at six a crimson sun, and at nine the moon.
The minute hand, sometimes going beyond the oval, raced around the circle, and the arrow showing the hours approached the crimson sun. Time was relentlessly running out...
Then the bracelet unclasped and fell from Dina's wrist. It turned into a bow. The girl pulled the pirate arrow from her pocket. The boy grabbed it, drew the bowstring and shot it at the clock. It hit right on the minute hand; it trembled, stopped, as if pondering what to do, jerked sharply and reluctantly crept backward. Then the small hand on the clock stopped too. The children sighed with relief. The bracelet with the horseshoe was once again fastened on Dina's arm. There was no time for talk, they had to hurry!
Dina took off her backpack; in it lay two rhubarb pies. She gave one half of a pie to Tonya, the other half to Tonny, and divided the second pie between herself and Duffy. The children felt an unusual surge of strength, as if they had drunk a magic potion!
From Dina's pocket fell the mother-of-pearl button; it rolled under a cabinet full of books. Duffy dashed after the button and at the last moment managed to grab it in her teeth. And then everyone froze in fear: from under the cabinet a snake appeared. How could it fit there? It grew bigger and bigger and soon reached the ceiling. It was a cobra; it spread its huge multicolored hood and, leaning forward, looked into Dina's eyes.
Duffy opened her mouth in amazement, and the button dropped to the floor. It began to grow, its edges curled, and it turned into a mother-of-pearl bowl.
An owl hooted again, the children looked at the clock floating in the air. The minute hand stopped, trembled and quickly ran in the opposite direction, bringing the sunset closer. Dina approached the cobra and stroked its smooth warm skin. She remembered the flowerbed in the sorceress's garden, where the cobra-plants had been so kind to the sparrows, and said:
Please help us get home!
Water, hissed the snake.
Dina took the little bottle of spring water out of her backpack and poured the water into the mother-of-pearl bowl. While the bowl was not full, the water kept pouring from the little bottle and pouring. The cobra drank the spring water and said:
Everyone stand in a tight circle. The boy should take the dog in his arms.
The children did so. The cobra covered the children with its hood, and they all heard the piercing voice of the sorceress:
In one minute the sun will set!
The Return
The cobra's hood closely embraced the travelers. Inside it was warm and dark. And then everyone was spun into a multicolored tunnel: Tonya, Tonny and Duffy flew in one direction, and Dina in the other. The bell in Dina's backpack began to play a triumphant melody.
Snap, and Dina was in the shed where Buyan stood. The girl hugged her friend, kissed his forehead and rushed into Grandma's house. In the kitchen Anna-Maria-Rose and Grandma were drinking tea with pies.
I'm back! Dina shouted from the doorway.
Grandma hugged her granddaughter, tears of joy ran down her cheeks.
And did you save the children? asked Anna-Maria-Rose.
Yes, we all flew out through the colorful tunnel. They must have gotten home together with Duffy, answered the girl.
Let's go to their house, suggested Anna-Maria-Rose.
Ever since the children went missing, their house had been plunged into darkness. No one turned on the lights there. The gate and fence used to be light green, but the paint had peeled off, and grass grew under the fence, and no one mowed it.
But now everyone saw that the fence was light green again. The gate was wide open, and loud laughter came from the yard. On the abandoned flowerbeds pink and red geraniums had bloomed.
Dina and the grandmothers went into the yard. Half the village had rushed over at the noise. Mom hugged her Totoshki (what she used to call them), crying and laughing with happiness.
Neighbors began carrying tables out into the street and covering them with white tablecloths. The housewives brought whatever they could, and the whole village celebrated the return of the children from the Enchanted Forest all day long.
Everyone thanked Dina and marveled at her bravery. Of course, Dina knew that without Duffy and Buyan, Grandma and Anna-Maria-Rose she would not have been able to save her brother and sister.
When Dina and her grandma came home, she took the carved box out of her backpack and opened it. On the emerald velvet lay a watch. It was small, just right for Dina's wrist. On the face was a tiny cobra and an inscription in the same calligraphic hand as in the book with the silver buttons: "Dina."
The girl put on her watch, and the little snake winked at her from the face, although, as everyone knows, they cannot blink.
